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UJAH : Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities
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This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1595-1413
Published by African Journals Online

[261 journals]

Towards A True Afropolitanism: Reconstructing African Diasporic Identities
- Authors: Chike Mgbeadichie, Chike Okoye
  Pages: 1 - 37
  Abstract: This essay redefines the idea of Afropolitanism lost in the world of identity and cultural studies. Defined by Taiye Selasi as a concept that studies persons of African descent who found home everywhere they lived, yet belonged nowhere, this paper holds an opposing view to this interpretation of Afropolitans. We argue that Afropolitans are African diaspora who are (un)consciously slanted to their root in a specific manner; they belong somewhere and the construction and reconstruction of their identity are tied to their root. To re-theorize Afropolitanism in this manner, this research examines Michael Kerr's idea of the post-modern self, showing a comparative account of the pseudo-self and the solid-self, in relation to the Afropolitan identity construction. The reinterpretation of James Clifford’s position on place and space and the examination of Cecil Blake’s ideology of belonging, root, and routes, are critical to my re-reading of the Afropolitan vibe. Although derived from theories of cultural hybridity, transnationalism, cosmopolitanism, and elective affinity, this paper demystifies Afropolitanism by showing how it differs remarkably from these theories in analyzing the underlying questions of frican identity and lived experience. Whilst lived experiences of African diaspora constitute part of the existence of the Afropolitan, we argue that the construction of the Afropolitan identity is not reliant on an acquired identity or lived experience but an ascribed identity and root. Okey Ndibe’s Never Look an American in the Eyes, will serve as the primary text for this analysis, and we conclude this research by articulating how Ndibe and other Afropolitan novelists manipulate culture, language, and race to reflect our position on Afropolitanism.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.1
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
From a De-politicization Duty of Care to a Deeply Politicized Phenomenon:
Navigating the Tension between Classical and New Humanitarianism
- Authors: Jacinta Chiamaka Nwaka
  Pages: 38 - 67
  Abstract: The doctrine of Responsibility to Protect popularly known as R2P was adopted by the international community as a response to complex emergencies of the post-Cold War era. Nearly two decades of its proposal and adoption, R2P is still a controversial doctrine that is yet to go down well with most humanitarian organizations especially relief agencies. Consequently, humanitarian organizations engaging in humanitarian assistance often dissociate their activities in theory and practice from R2P. Despite the challenges which the doctrine poses to humanitarian actors, this study, using historical and analytical method, demonstrates that there are common grounds from which a synergy could be built for effective intervention and assistance. Such grounds, it posits exist because the rejection of R2P by humanitarian actors is not informed by inadequacies in the content of the new framework, as both old and new humanitarianism appear to be pursuing similar goal – protection of the helpless victims of war. What constitutes a difference seems to be too much space in R2P which could be exploited by the powerful states for personal gain and which also stifles the implied but most important aspect of the doctrine – responsibility in protection.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.2
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Holophrastic Utterances: Types and Meaning Dimensions in Igbo
- Authors: Aloysius U. Umeodinka, Edith U. Nwobu
  Pages: 68 - 84
  Abstract: Linguistics, in its study of language, brings out the essential role communication plays in the daily lives of human beings. The roles are particularly revealed in semantics, the study of meaning. These meanings have as much different shades as they are used for interaction at the different levels of word, phrase and sentence. It is against this background that this paper focuses on “Holophrastic Utterances: Types and Semantic Dimensions in Igbo”. One of the objectives of the study is to make known the meaning of adult holophrastic expressions. The study is also purposed to categorize such utterances, reveal their contexts of usage and their dimensions of meaning in Igbo. The approach adopted for the study is descriptive. And it is the Use Theory of Meaning that guides the study. The research discovers that adult holophrastic utterances are such that go beyond the involvement of children’s type of simple one-word utterances used in their stages of development to embrace the use of such single words by adults to reveal the social or common background they share in their interactional relationships. It is the expression of a complex of ideas in a single word or in a fixed phrase. The holophrastic utterances have been discovered to be classifiable into interrogative, affirmative, consolatory, greeting, appeal, appreciative, disapproval, advisory, imperative and condemnation. It has also been found out that the names of the different classes are synonymous with their contexts and purposes.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.3
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Terrorism as the Quest for Justice in Contemporary Nigeria
- Authors: Peter Akpo Adams
  Pages: 85 - 107
  Abstract: In Nigeria today, the activities of terrorists are no longer new. This is what has characterized the Nigerian state. This hydra-headed monster with its attendant heinous crimes against humanity is the main focus of this paper. In this paper, the problem of terrorism has been discussed from a two dimensional continuum – of terrorist acts as the quest for justice in contemporary Nigeria, and on the other hand, the paper examines the phenomenon as an unjust, inhuman and wicked means implored by the jihadi movement to cause fear among Nigerians. The paper made use of content analysis for its research methodology. The paper leaned on the rational choice theory and the psychological approach. The paper concluded by maintaining the view that no matter the level of provocation or injustice in the social system, terrorist acts remain unfair and inhuman. The actions of terrorists therefore, can never be justified by any measure, human or otherwise.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.4
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Modeling Ritual and Performance for Political Change: An Examination of
Igu-Aro Ndi-Umueri in Anambra State
- Authors: Mary Nkechi Okadigwe
  Pages: 108 - 126
  Abstract: This research studied the performance of the Igu-Aro ritual of the Umueri people of Anambra state to investigate its processes in terms of its viability as a model of active and positive social change. Igu-Aro is the Igbo annual communal festival of the prognostication of the year’s events. The performance of the IguAro of the Umueri people was perceived as an essential mechanism for transmitting the people’s cultural identity and a route to collective participation in the structuring of fair leadership and a progressive economy. Victor Turner’s ideologies on rituals, liminality, and social change were adopted for the research. The researcher believes that the understanding and integration of the insights gained from the transitory and collective nature of the performance of Igu-Aro Ndi-Umueri will be beneficial to the understanding of how the Nigerian political system could be bettered. This is because in recent times there seems to be an increasing clamour for the restructuring of the Nigerian political system with a major emphasis on the devolution of powers, duties, and responsibilities to component states. This study has provided insight into the Umueri people and their historical links with others within their common communities.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.5
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
A Comparative Analysis of Tense in the Standard Ígbò and the
Ìmìlìkè Dialects
- Authors: Juliana Chizọbam Eze, Ifeoma M. Nweze
  Pages: 127 - 163
  Abstract: This paper examines the syntactic and semantic analytic descriptions of tense in the standard Ígbò and Ìmìlìkè dialect with emphasis on both the affirmative and negative constructions. The study was inspired by the dearth of scholarly work in this aspect of the Igbo language (Niger Congo: Nigeria). The theoretical framework of Bull’s (1963) analysis of Tense and Aspect is adopted. The analysis was justified with the use of concrete examples given from the standard Ígbò and the dialect. The findings reveal that in addition to the occurrence of tense in the standard Ígbò and Ìmìlìkè dialect, there is also a morphological opposition between the present and past tense in both dialects. However, it was observed that there exist tonal distinctions which occur in the derivation of the different tense systems in both dialects in the affirmative and negative constructions. It also reveals that lexical units interact with tone and the components of INFIL (Inflection) to derive either the affirmative or the negative construction appropriately.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.6
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Ikwuano Women in 1929 Women’s Protest: A Recipe from Women War in
Ancient Israel (Judges 4:4-24)
- Authors: Ohaeri Nnaemeka Ndubuwa, Asukwo Edet Oko
  Pages: 164 - 187
  Abstract: This paper focused on the uniqueness of Ikwuano women in terms of their contributions towards economic and political development, particularly around 1929 events. It aimed at accentuating the valiant role of Ikwuano Women in their gallant protest to claim their rights against household taxation by the British Colonial rule through the Warrant Chiefs. The research adopted a historical method to trace the role of women in the Ancient Israeli war in Judges 4:4-24 which applies to the Aba Women Protest. A historical examination shows that the 1929 so-called 'Aba Women Riot' was an Igbo women's traditional demonstration that allowed women to express their disapproval of any policy that infringes their human rights at that time. Foreign publishers used derogatory dictions such as riot, revolt, and war and later termed it “Aba Riot”, excluding women, probably because they were oblivious of the aforementioned protest in Igbo tradition or that they denied political fault of household taxation policy and assault to women as colonialists. The findings unveiled that the contributions of Ikwuano women to the political and economic development of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized, just as Deborah's and Jael’s exploits in Ancient Israel cannot be underestimated. The paper also investigated that the so-called Aba Women Riot of 1929 emanated from a clan called Oloko, in Ikwuano under Old Aba Province, as a protest which spread to Aba, Owerri, Calabar, and other Eastern Region of Nigeria. It gained international attention that resulted in the cancellation of Women's Taxation, the improvement of the national economy, and abrogation of the Warrant Chief System. The paper recommended the empowerment of Ikwuano Women, adequate support of the Government in revitalizing the production of cash crops in Ikwuano through mechanization and mass employment of indigenous youth in the aforementioned Institutes to alleviate poverty in the area. Lessons should be learned from women's war in ancient Israel contained in Judges 4:4-24, which reveals the inherent ability of women to promote national economy, peace, politics, and defense against external aggressions.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.7
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Effects of Hip-hop Music on Students of Delta State University, Abraka,
and College of Education, Warri
- Authors: Marian Edohan Chukwuma, Agatha Onwuekwe
  Pages: 188 - 220
  Abstract: Since the late 1980s, Hip-hop music has passed through many stages of development and become an established musical genre of the popular music style in Nigeria. Mainly used for entertainment and satirical purposes against the excesses of the military government at the time, the performance practice, lyrical content, and use of costumes has significantly changed over the years. As a sonic and visual art, music has the ability to influence individuals and exude different emotions in humans. It is in this connection that the paper seeks to investigate and unravel some of these influences and effects that hip hop music has had on undergraduate students in Delta State University, Abraka, and College of Education, Warri. The authors relied on interviews and questionnaires as tools, while observation and analytical methods were applied in data gathering. Findings from the research reveal. The findings of the research work is that the youth are the major consumers of hip-hop music and prevalent contents in the lyrics and video in hip-hop songs have illicit contents with sex, seductive dances and immodest dressings (nudity) being more prevalent most especially the female gender prefers wanting to be famous artist by portraying some immoral attitudes that causes harm to the society which enable the genre gain unprecedented popularity and patronage, some negative impacts are palpable especially on the lifestyle of undergraduates in Delta State. It is true that the reality of modernism has become tangible in various aspects of Nigerian culture. That notwithstanding, unacceptable moral behaviours must not be promoted in the guise of modernism. It is therefore recommended that modernism be embraced but in line with the ethos of decency in language, communication and fashion that are characteristic of Nigerian traditional societies.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.8
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
The Lens of 2 Samuel 17:1-23 in Managing Suicide in Nigeria
- Authors: Favour C. Uroko, Solomon Enobong
  Pages: 221 - 248
  Abstract: Although progress has been made in examining different aspects of suicide in Nigeria, literature has yet to adequately explore suicide from the Old Testament lens. In this study, we extended literature by examining 2 Samuel 17:1-23 and its relevance to the increasing suicide rate among Nigerians. In the pericope, Ahithophel committed suicide by hanging himself due to the physical, mental, and emotional challenges he found himself. All these challenges culminate in frustration. These reasons also seem to be factors that have sustained the suicide rate in Nigeria. The frustrated in Nigeria are in a desperate state of mind. They are prone to adopting wild and hasty strategies to address their challenges, which is taking their lives knowingly. Findings reveal that the motivating factors to the increasing state of suicide in Nigeria are frustration, poverty, family challenges, ego, emptiness, and traumatic events. People find it difficult to feed, find job, bear children, and endure intimidation and harassment, among others. People think that the shortest way of mitigating these anomalies is to kill oneself. The impacts include the fact that people bereaved by suicide committed by their relatives are also at an increased risk of suicide, depression, and psychiatric admission. Suicide leaves the family of the victim in poverty, especially if the person is the breadwinner of the family. It also makes the family of the person that committed suicide to feelisolated. The import of Ahithophel resort to suicide is believed to speak anew to the increasing suicide rates among Nigerians. The narrative analysis method was adopted in this study. As part of the recommendations, Ahithophel committed suicide because things he expected to work out for him failed to. In the same vein, Nigerians should not expect things to always work well for them. Also, there is also a need for faith-based collaborations in sensitizing youths on the dangers of committing suicide.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.9
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)
Can Anything Philosophical Come out of Darwinism' Resolving the
Conflict between Evolutionary Biology and Philosophy in the Twentieth
Century
- Authors: Uche S. Odozor, Emmanuel O. Akintona
  Pages: 249 - 282
  Abstract: Is the idea of ‘evolutionary philosophy’ well taken' If it is, how does evolutionary biology bear on philosophy' The incursion of biological science into ethics towards the end of the 19th century elicited a widespread reaction from twentieth century philosophers, who instantly began to question the relevance of Darwin’s work to philosophy. The doctrine of natural selection may not have comprehensively resolved the age-old problems of philosophy, for example, in the area of human morality and ethical thinking; in fact, it may not be able to replace philosophical inquiry in the absolute sense advocated by most evolutionary theorists. But it has made some remarkable contributions towards a better appreciation of philosophical problems. To this end, this paper explored the various areas of mutual interest between evolutionary science and philosophical inquiry. It highlights the tacit affinities between the two, and thus, finds that even from inception evolutionary biology has tended to follow philosophical inquiry rather closely in the different issues that have been of interest to the latter since its early beginnings in ancient Greece. Some of the areas of mutual concern and interest between the two fields of inquiry include the discourse on God, human nature, the universe, life, ethics, and politics. The paper, therefore, concluded with the submission that evolutionary biology and philosophy complement, rather than oppose, each other. Ultimately, such complementation suggests that both disciplines have a future together; among other things, it makes possible the idea of ‘evolutionary philosophy’.
  PubDate: 2022-02-28
  DOI: 10.4314/ujah.v22i2.10
  Issue No: Vol. 22, No. 2 (2022)